Cretan Wines

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The history of Greek wine goes back a long way. As described in previous blog posts, wine presses have been found which date back to the Minoan era. Offerings to the gods often included wine, as evidenced by archaeological digs in temples. Findings of massive clay jars to transport wine have been linked to the Roman period, when Cretan wine was exported across the Mediterranean. During the Middle Ages, wine produced in Heraklion (vino di Candia) was highly valued in northern and western Europe.

In recent years, however, the exports are not quite so far-reaching. Greek wine is beautiful, yet at least in the UK (where I live) it’s hard to find. I didn’t know much about it before I came to Crete, and it has become a treasured find!

In the 1970s, a plague of Phylloxera caused mayhem. Whilst in France a similar coup caused the export of some key grape varieties to distant places, in Crete the plague resulted in serious losses of Kotsifali vines. The plague is long over, and as proof of the old adage, if it didn’t kill local producers, it did make them stronger. Cretan wine production accounts for 20% of Greek wine. It is produced mostly by cooperatives. This small-scale production doesn’t really have a powerful marketing machine behind it, which explains why it is not more famous. This, however, may soon be turned around by a new generation of producers, oenologists, and marketers, all keen on making Cretan wine shine.

The two most important protected designations of origin for Cretan wines are Arhanes and Peza. These protected designations of origin are for Kotsifali and Mandilaria (which are used to produce red wines) and Vidiano and Daphni (for Peza white wines). There are several privately-owned wineries, the most important of which are Lyrakis, Miliarakis, Boutaris, and Creta-Oympias. Small cooperatives, unable to compete with larger companies, sometimes opt to be recognised for their inventiveness. This is the case of small producers in Sitia, where a new variety of grape, Liatiko, is being explored for red wines, and a recent protected designation of origin status has been conferred to white wines made of Thrapsathiri and Vilana grapes.

If you are interested in coming to Crete and exploring the vineyards, discovering the ancient and new wine-making processes, and enjoying tastings of Cretan wines, contact knowledgeable Karma Travel. They will be able to book wine country tours, visits to wine makers and tastings for you, and provide expert advise so you make the most of your visit to Crete.